Lu Shiyan had just picked up a cup of tea to take a sip when Lu Yanchen suddenly brought up the year of the earthquake.
The teacup fell from his hand onto the carpet, the brownish-yellow liquid slowly seeping into the fibers.
Lu Shiyan looked utterly incredulous. "What did you say..."
Meeting his shocked expression, Lu Yanchen's lips curved into a mocking smile as he continued, "That foolish woman's ship encountered a tsunami. Their vessel was lost at sea. She clung to a piece of driftwood, floating on the ocean for two full days. If she hadn't chanced upon my merchant ship, she would have died in that vast sea."
"When my crew brought her on board, she had barely half a breath left. Two days and nights on the sea without food or water, exposed to wind and sun. Any exposed skin was sunburned and peeling, her body utterly depleted."
"It was I who had the ship's doctor treat her. It was I who had them nurse her back to health. The moment the ship docked, she rushed back to the Su family without delay."
Even though it was my own past experience being recounted, hearing it from someone else didn't stir much feeling in me now. I could vaguely remember the sensation of the sun scorching my body. I was like a piece of meat on a grill, utterly helpless on the boundless ocean.
No food. No water.
Scorching by day, freezing by night.
Fierce winds whipped the waves over me. The saltwater stung my sunburned skin like fire.
But the physical pain was nothing compared to the psychological terror. Accustomed to the bright lights of the city, even the ships at night were usually well-lit.
But back then, I couldn't see a single glimmer of light. The weather was terrible, not even a star in sight.
The sea was like a giant beast with its maw wide open, ready to swallow me whole at any moment.
Whenever the wind and waves surged, I was dragged under. I could only cling desperately to the edges of the wooden plank, tossed about by the waves, not knowing how much seawater I swallowed before侥幸 surviving.
Now, all of this was finally exposed through Lu Yanchen's words. Lu Shiyan muttered, "You're lying! If Su Wan really did all that, why didn't she say anything?"
I did tell them. But no one present believed me, all because Su Ning'an claimed I had gone traveling.
My family called me heartless. Lu Shiyan called me cold and disgusting.
And now he blames me for not speaking up? How ridiculous!
"Is that so?"
Lu Yanchen took out his phone and projected images onto the screen—videos and photos I had never seen before.
I was being rescued by the crew from the water, the footage taken from the ship's surveillance.
The subsequent photos showed me, barely recognizable, lying in bed on the ship, clinging to life.
So, I looked that awful back then.
Lu Yanchen spoke slowly, deliberately. "At the time, we thought she might not make it, so we took these photos. After all, we'd crossed paths. Consider it leaving you a memento. I never thought they'd be used in a situation like this."
"If Su Wan knew that her single-minded devotion to you led to such misunderstanding... I think she would regret ever loving you. Because Lu Shiyan, you are unworthy of her love!"
Lu Yanchen's words were harsh. He was like my mouthpiece, saying everything I wanted to say.
Lu Shiyan staggered back, collapsing into a chair. He stared反复 at the images of my haggard, pale face, lost in thought.
After a long time, he finally spoke again. "Uncle... was it you? Did you help Su Wan hide? If so, please tell her to come back quickly. I'll let bygones be bygones."
Lu Yanchen looked at him deeply. "I truly wish I had hidden her away."
"Uncle, what do you mean?"
"To be frank, I don't know where Su Wan is."
Lu Yanchen put his phone away. "Lu Shiyan, I won't give you another chance."
With those words, Lu Yanchen left the tea room, leaving Lu Shiyan alone, staring blankly at the empty screen.
He returned to his room as if all energy had left him and answered a call from his assistant.
"Mr. Lu, regarding your request to investigate Mrs. Lu... I've found some leads."
"Speak!"
"It turns out... the year of the earthquake, Mrs. Lu wasn't lying. She really did go to find you. But she encountered a storm at sea. Later, it was Mr. Lu [Yanchen] who ensured her safe return to shore. I looked into that shipwreck. Hundreds died. It was a major incident at the time."
The assistant's words were like salt rubbed into Lu Shiyan's wounds.
Lu Shiyan roared, "Why wasn't this discovered earlier?!"
The assistant's voice was small, but I still heard it. "Well... previously, whatever Miss Ning'an said was taken as truth. You never instructed me to investigate this..."
Lu Shiyan hung up and threw his phone aside. He lay back on the bed, looking utterly desolate.
Perhaps he finally understood he had no right to blame the assistant. The assistant wasn't wrong.
From the very beginning, he hadn't intended to believe me. Why would he have ordered an investigation?
His emotions had been on a rollercoaster all day. Lu Shiyan seemed like a flower drained of its vitality. He murmured, "Wanwan... I know I was wrong. Please come back."
BOOM!
Another flash of lightning and clap of thunder outside. Lu Shiyan jolted upright from the bed. The sliding door to the balcony was only half-closed. A gust of wind, laden with rain, whipped into the room, making the curtains fly wildly.
Lu Shiyan got up to close the door, getting splashed by the rain in the process.
The cold raindrops only increased his restlessness. He sat on the carpet, leaning against the bed, his fingers constantly turning the prayer beads.
Strangely, since he started wearing this Buddhist rosary, the nightmares had truly stopped. It had become his sole comfort.
He turned the beads faster and faster. I just sat on the bed, watching him coldly.
If he knew these beads contained my ashes, what a spectacular expression would he wear?
I watched as his agitation grew. He made several calls in quick succession.
"Yes. Spare no expense. I must find Su Wan!"
"Name your price. I just want my wife found, as soon as possible."
"Even if we have to tear the earth apart, find Su Wan!"
Lu Shiyan began spending sleepless night after sleepless night, waiting for news of me.
Early the next morning, someone brought a report.
"You found my wife?" Lu Shiyan, who hadn't slept all night, had dark circles under his eyes.
"Not yet, Mr. Lu. We've investigated all of Mrs. Lu's recent traces. Her phone has been out of service. We tried to locate it. The last signal was detected at... Binjiang."
Lu Shiyan clutched his chest, as if remembering the desperate call for help I had made to him.
"And?"
"After that night, Mrs. Lu hasn't logged into any personal social media accounts, made any payments, or had any records of border crossing, flight purchases, or hotel stays. That is to say..."
The person glanced at Lu Shiyan's expression before cautiously continuing, "Based on the information we have now, it's highly likely that Mrs. Lu has met with misfortune."